Wireless personal area networks (“WPANs”) are used to convey information over relatively short distances. Unlike wireless local area networks (“WLANs”), WPANs need little or no infrastructure, and WPANS allow small, power-efficient, and inexpensive solutions to be implemented for a wide range of devices. Smart Utility Networks (“SUNs”) may operate either over short ranges such as in a mesh network where utility meter information is sent from one utility meter to another or over longer ranges such as in a star topology where utility meter information is sent to a poletop collection point. The terms WPAN and SUN are used interchangeably in this document.
In some cases, a scrambled data packet sent over a SUN may not be received successfully. The sender may be informed that the data packet has not been successfully received and thus the sender attempts to retransmit the data packet. However, the scrambling sequence may be the cause of the unsuccessful receipt. Thus, if the data packet is retransmitted with the same or a similar scrambling sequence, it is possible that the receipt will again be unsuccessful.